Posted in Op-Eds, tagged Terrorism, Military, Taliban on June 30, 2008 | 9 Comments »
This past weekend, news of the new Pakistani offensive against militants in the northwest dominated media coverage of the country. On Sunday, media outlets reported that Pakistani paramilitary forces “pushed fighters belonging to an Islamic militant group farther from Peshawar…and destroyed unoccupied bases and houses belonging to members of the group.” Headlines following these developments [...]
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Although political developments (i.e. the Nawaz Sharif by-election controversy) caused quite a stir in media coverage of Pakistan this week, reports related to the militant and Taliban threat also garnered significant news attention. On Thursday, militants in the NWFP reportedly torched a state-owned hotel/ski resort in Swat. According to BBC News, “The nighttime attack follows [...]
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Posted in News Briefs, Op-Eds, tagged Terrorism, Coalition, Musharraf, Taliban, Judiciary, U.S., NATO, Balochistan, Afghanistan on June 16, 2008 | 7 Comments »
It has been quite an eventful few days for Pakistan. First, following the end of the lawyers’ “Long March” [see related post] this past week, the movement’s top leader, Aitzaz Ahsan promised more protests today. Although he did not provide a future date for these protests, “his comments indicated that the lawyers did not intend [...]
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Posted in News Briefs, tagged Taliban, U.S. on June 12, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Following a controversial U.S. air strike on a checkpost in the volatile Mohmand frontier region Wednesday, Pakistan “lodged a diplomatic protest,” accusing U.S.-led forces of launching a “completely unprovoked and cowardly act,” which killed 11 Pakistani soldiers. In response, reported news agencies, U.S. officials said Washington regretted the “reported loss of Pakistani life” but insisted [...]
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Posted in News Briefs, tagged Taliban, Terrorism on June 10, 2008 | 3 Comments »
After a day filled with blogging and work, this CHUP editor was too spent to include a last-minute post on a significant development that occurred late yesterday, when government authorities and militants reportedly scrapped their widely covered peace deal. According to the Daily Times, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik said on Monday that this decision [...]
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On Thursday, an alleged Web posting by Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the Danish embassy suicide attack that occurred on Monday, [see previous post]. According to the Associated Press today, “The statement said Monday’s attack was carried out to fulfill Osama bin Laden’s promise to exact revenge for the reprinting in Danish newspapers of a cartoon of [...]
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Posted in Interviews, tagged Swat, Coalition, Taliban on May 26, 2008 | 5 Comments »
The Pakistani government’s peace negotiations with Taliban-linked militants has faced hesitation from U.S., British, and NATO officials, who fear a ceasefire will only allow these forces to regroup and increase attacks on foreign troops located across the border in Afghanistan. This sentiment was further exacerbated when Tehreek-e-Taliban leader Beitullah Mehsud told reporters Saturday that their [...]
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Posted in Op-Eds, tagged Taliban, Zardari on May 24, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Beitullah Mehsud, the head of the militant umbrella organization, Tehreek-e-Taliban, told a group of reporters on Saturday that their jihad would continue in Afghanistan, since “Islam does not recognize boundaries.” His announcement comes just days after Pakistani authorities and militants signed a peace agreement, [see previous post] in Swat. Although Mehsud emphasized his Taliban-linked militants [...]
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Following weeks of negotations, [see most recent post on the talks], Pakistan’s coalition government signed a 15-point peace deal with “pro-Taliban” militants in Swat Valley on Wednesday. The announcement garnered media attention today, and the Associated Press deemed the development, “a breakthrough for a policy that Western officials worry could take the pressure off Taliban [...]
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Posted in News Briefs, tagged Taliban on May 18, 2008 | 2 Comments »
On Saturday, Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan was freed unharmed after being held hostage for 96 days by suspected Taliban militants. According to the Associated Press, “Tariq Azizuddin disappeared Feb. 11 along with his driver and bodyguard as they drove from the Pakistani city of Peshawar toward the border. In a video aired April 19 on [...]
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